[chisgran]

I always seem to have a problem completing things. I would like to have a kick butt year for a change, I want to take control of my life instead of it seeming to control me. I need to develop a plan for reaching my goals & am wondering how you're going to reach your goals? How do you do it? :bang:

 

[staceyy]

I usually buy motivational, subliminal and hypnosis tapes to help me reach my goals.

 

[Hollyhandi]

I'm rethinking and making major life changes
Using my brain power this year instead of just barreling through figuring it will work out.
I am going to make sure this year
I have never been this determined before.

 

[banana]

My plans are to look at the big picture of what we owe, what we can save and pay off and not looking at my friends and family who think we are strange. Some of my friends and family think their house is their ATM machine by refinancing every year and throwing another 20,000 into their total mortgage debt. They think I am the crazy one who keeps on playing with figures to get it down and paid off as soon as possible. Its a shame that they dont realize they are the ones who will be in debt up to their eyeballs when they retire.

 

[mustang80]

I'm trying to make myself accountable for my spending by tracking every penny on a spread sheet. I just added up my personal (not household) debt and it comes to almost $8,000. I really want to work on debt reduction by using ebay money to help pay for debt.

 

[nuisance26]

~Joining the monthly goal challenges here helps me ALOT! I print out my list and put it on the fridge where I see it 20 times a day. Post your list and how you did every month. Being accountable for your successes and failures is a great motivational tool for me. When people are watching I want to succeed so much more! HTH and Good Luck this year!~

 

[chisgran]

Wow! Some really good advice. I especially like the one about the monthy challenges. I probably need to visit sites like this everyday because I start out really good & then fizzle.

 

[Nada.Leona]

My goal for the year was to obtain balance, so I started with the few things that seem easiest to get into -- watching what I eat, keeping the apartment neat, monitoring my spending, improving my frugal skills and developing a relationship with a higher deity.

At work I'm reporting on my weight gains and losses with co-workers in our "Biggest Loser" group. And I'm keeping track of what I eat, and telling :smooch: who, being the sweetheart he is, suggested we stop eating so much sugars -- two weeks (and counting) of not cooking with cream, only whole wheat bread, etc. It's great, and I'm lovin' it! Haven't lost any weight yet, but that's okay, one baby step at a time (I'm also reading FlyLady's weight loss book too).

I recreated my Control Journal and am following FlyLady's Back to Basics Baby Steps program this month as best I can. Things are pretty good thus far, little things here and there. But my sink is shined, my bed is made and my dishes are done. Again, babysteps.

This one I'm not doing so hot on, but all my bills are up to date, and the only thing I have oweing is my lawyer's final fee, which I should be able to have paid off this week.

I'm rereading "The Complete Tightwad Gazette", scowering the flyers and recording the good deals on my computer in a Micrsoft Word document, and rewriting my perpetual pantry list, with :smooch:'s help. We're stocking up on decent things, like cheap roasts, chicken, pork tenderloins (a fantastic treat for us and one we can get surprisingly cheap, about the same price when compared to general meat prices around here), marked-down cheeses -- basically anything that can be frozen (Ahhhhhhh, how I LOOOOOOOVE to freeze things!!!) we stock up on it.

I'm Wiccan, and I believe in a God and Goddess, instead of just one all-powerful male deity. I feel that there is only one God and only one Goddess, but I feel that they appear to us in many, many forms -- all the named gods and goddesses of the world are just different faces of the God and Goddess. I feel pulls from different gods and goddesses. Currently, the Virgin Mary seems to be calling me, so I started praying the Rosary. I work with whatever form the Lord and Lady speak to me in and I let them teach or show me what they want, and wait for the next lesson. It's very refreshing.

 

[Laurie in Bradenton]

We are taking things a month at a time focusing on what we are buying and why. We have reorganized our bill paying to move our retirement fund up in the order of pay.

LAurie in BRadenton

 

[peanut]

I'm tracking my efforts by splitting my yearly goals into monthly, weekly and daily goals, and keeping a journal of what I do. I also find prioritizing helps.

I am finding myself really stressed and distracted this month, adjusting to my adult DD moving home with her DH. He and I are world's apart and like oil and water. Oh well. DH and I have decided we need to find a home with a completely separate basement suite for them, and a studio away from the house for me. The studio will have to be on the property though, which could be an issue. Means another heated building.

My main goal this month is de-cluttering and preparing for an upcoming conference. So that's where my efforts will be put. I, too, keep track of what I'm up to here at FV daily. I also get ideas here.

 

[chisgran]

Thanks for all the great responses. So much to do in 2007. My motto this year is: The Best is Yet to Come. But I do know that it'll only come with me putting some things into action. I already started working on some things that I've been procrastinating. So it is a work in progress, I just need to formulate a plan. Doing the monthly, weekly & daily plan would help me out. I have been saving my Flylady basics emails, just haven't had time to read them yet. I could probably use some time management skills or advice, too. But I am forging ahead as best I can.

 

[monkeywrangler71]

How I'm planning to meet my spending goals: This year I am keeping track of my finances. I have a spreadsheet and I'm recording where every penny goes. So far, it is making a huge difference. Even though no one else looks at it, it keeps me in check at the store when I know I have to come home and "confess", even if it is just to the computer.

How I'm planning to meet my frugal living goals: I am writing down cost/resource saving tips as I come across them. I select one item from the list to start doing, then force myself to keep doing it until it becomes a habit. Once I am confident that I will continue doing it automatically, I go back to the list and start on something else.

How I am planning on meeting my 'work' goals: By work, I mean stuff I need to do around the house. I just have to force myself on this one. I have daily chores which repeat on my calendar on a weekly or monthly basis, and I check them off when they are done. I need the satisfaction of checking something off my to-do list as motivation. I also have this "ungoing" to-do list of major items that was just never getting done. This year I have started to assign deadlines for completing all the outstanding projects in a particular 'zone'. I started with a couple of easy rooms, but so far I am on schedule. I am scheduled to start the worst area at the beginning of February, as that is the time that I feel is most appropriate for purifying your home. I thought I would have more success if I plan major projects for dates that I am more naturally inspired to complete them.

The only area where I am really slipping, is the daily stuff. I'm sure that's natural, as it is pretty darn boring , but I am doing slightly better than last year and will keep working at it.